Tech billionaire Elon Musk is calling on the U.S. government to tackle the fentanyl crisis as thousands of Americans die each year from the deadly drug that is trafficked into the country through President Joe Biden’s wide-open southern border — with Musk arguing that the crisis is so dire that lawmakers either need to implement “draconian penalties” for possession of the drug or legalize it.

“We either need to legalize fentanyl, so addicts don’t accidentally take lethal doses, or engage in draconian penalties for fentanyl possession. If authorities refuse to do the latter, we should at least try the former to see if fewer tragedies occur,” Musk wrote in a post on X, the social media platform that he owns, which was formerly known as Twitter.

Musk’s comment came in response to a post from author and journalist Michael Shellenberger.

In the post, Shellenberger pointed out that many people believe “there’s nothing we can do” to stop people from using fentanyl, but the truth is that there are ways to battle the crisis.

“We might not be able to stop it from coming into the US, but we can crack down on open-air drug dealing and mandate rehab to addicts who break the law. If we don’t, one million people will die,” he added.

We either need to legalize fentanyl, so addicts don’t accidentally take lethal doses, or engage in draconian penalties for fentanyl possession.

If authorities refuse to do the latter, we should at least try the former to see if fewer tragedies occur.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 20, 2024

The fentanyl crisis begins in communist China, where the materials to manufacture the drug are created and then shipped to Mexican drug cartels. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), two specific drug cartels are behind the majority of the fentanyl flooding across the U.S.-Mexico border — the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel.

“DEA’s mission is to save American lives by defeating the two cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of fentanyl that is flooding our country: the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco Cartel,” the agency explained in a January press release.

“While the cartels’ operations are based in Mexico, DEA has identified more than 50 additional countries where these criminal networks operate. DEA has also traced the cartels’ global supply chain around the world. The cartels purchase chemicals from companies in China, mass produce the fentanyl in Mexico, and then traffic and distribute finished fentanyl widely throughout the United States,” the press release continued.

Meanwhile, one user responded to Musk’s post by pointing out that Americans already know the consequences of relaxing policies on drug use thanks to Oregon’s legislation decriminalizing hard drugs, which has led to increased drug use, open-air drug markets and strung-out addicts lining the sidewalks.

This is the result of legalization in Oregon: https://t.co/xyQudDP3li

— medium quality (@mediumquality) February 20, 2024